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“Is this seat taken?” a silky-smooth female voice asked. I jumped up so fast, my phone slipped out of my hand and landed at her feet. She bent to pick it up, and her gaze stuck to the text message from Uncle Louie. “Just tell me he’s not referring to our encounter yesterday, or I might die right here.”
She held out the phone for me.
“He’s not,” I said, moving away from my chair so I could help her into hers. “No need for death. He hasn’t said a thing about it. Let me assure you once again, the man is blind without his glasses.”
A slight grin cascaded across her ruby-red lips, and at once, the knot that had been building in my stomach, subsided. “That’s a good start.”
I went to kiss her hello, but she backed away. “No. I promised that I’d meet you for dinner, and that’s what I’m doing, but that’s all. I’ll leave once dinner is over. I didn’t want you to sit here all alone on New Year’s Eve. That would be too sad.”
“Whatever you want,” I told her, as I followed her over to her chair across from me. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks, you do too.”
She wore a shiny black strapless gown, with a slit on the right side that went all the way up to the very top of her thigh, and those same bright-red heels she’d worn on our first date, the ones she didn’t want to ruin in the snow on Christmas morning. Her hair was pulled up, with long strands that framed her face. Gold dangling earrings dusted her shoulders whenever she moved. Her lips matched the color of her shoes, and when I pushed in her chair, I lingered in the scent of her soft perfume, sending a blazing bullet of heat right to my groin. It was the same perfume that had lingered on my pillow in my bedroom at home.
I had it bad for this amazing woman, and even after everything that had happened, I knew if I didn’t somehow convince her to spend the night with me, to come back to the inn with me and let me love her, I would lose her forever.
If ever I needed my inner Jonathan to do his thing, tonight was the night. But could I get the courage to engage him with Dani, when she was here, in person, sitting across from me at my table?
The rest of my life depended on it… no pressure there.
Dani 16
We sat in silence for a few moments, until the waiter, a dark-skinned Italian man at least a couple years younger than me, approached with a bottle of Prosecco, two classic champagne glasses, and an ice bucket on a stand. Another waiter brought over a couple of small bottles of imported Italian sparkling water, while still another waiter placed a basket of crusty Italian bread along with a bottle of high-end extra virgin olive oil and fig balsamic on the table.
One thing about this restaurant, it sure knew how to cater to authentic Italian cuisine.
Our waiter popped open the bottle, and poured the bubbly wine, then he said, “I’ll give you a few more minutes to look over the menu. It’s a special menu for the holiday, and no matter what entrée you order, it comes with an appetizer of deep-fried calamari, one of our specialties, and a dessert of either our house tiramisu or our homemade gelato.”
“Thanks,” Gianni told him, and the waiter walked off.
“In my restaurant, I’d rather offer a slice of a custard tart with fresh fruit or a cannoli for dessert. They’re much more classic Italian than a tired tiramisu,” he said, sounding a bit nervous.
“Your restaurant?” I asked, then I took a sip of the wine. I loved how it bubbled on my tongue. This one was perfect. “Umm.”
“So, the wine is good?”
He took a sip.
“Yes, very. So were the bottles you sent over. Sarah and I tried all three of them. I especially liked the rosé. And thanks for the flowers. They’re lovely.”
I was making small talk to avoid the dinosaur in the room, which was my growing feelings for Gianni. Sarah had warned me about not showing up if I was serious about leaving after graduation and had invited me to join her at the party she was going to with Gary, but I couldn’t do that to Gianni. He was too sweet to abandon at the last minute. Besides, he’d gone over and above with food, wine, and flowers despite my anger with him over Uncle Louie.
Who does that?
I’d never had a boyfriend who was that thoughtful. None of them had ever cared that much, especially not Mike. I felt a little vindicated with him. The look on his wife’s face was enough for me. Never again. That was my absolute New Year’s resolution. One I would absolutely stick to this time.
Never again would I date a cheating, lying man.
“You’re welcome,” Gianni said, as I stared across the table at his handsome face. He looked especially good tonight, in his black suit and light-blue shirt. He hadn’t worn a tie, but instead kept the top two buttons on his crisp shirt unbuttoned. Damn it all, but the man was scorching hot, and I couldn’t help my feelings for him, no matter what the hell happened with Uncle Louie. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look?”
I couldn’t help the grin that tickled the corners of my mouth once again. I seemed to be grinning a lot tonight. I had planned on joining him for dinner, then saying good night and goodbye forever, but from the way I’d been soaking up the compliments and thinking about what a kind and sexy man he was, saying goodbye might prove to be impossible.
I’d spent hours trying to decide on whether I should show up tonight. Then what should I wear, how should I style my hair, and then back to whether I should go. Even as I drove over, I still had my doubts. It wasn’t until I saw him sitting all alone at the table that I knew I’d made the right decision.
“You mentioned your restaurant. Are you getting more serious about it? I think you’d be a great restaurant owner and chef, by the way.”
“I rented a storefront over in Hutton Hill today. It came with an apartment on the second floor. I took that as well. My mother’s going to have a stroke, but it’s time.”
